


Ghost Adventures: SHIELD

by SupremeFamilyFan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: A hetero fic? From me?! Who knew?, But don't worry he'll still be in the story, Daisy finally gets a happy ending, Daisy is the new SHIELD director, Don't read it if you're offended by cussing, Don't steal my stuff, F/M, He ain't coming back this time, He's really dead, I am not afraid to drop the F-Bomb, I swear, If you're waiting for a Coulson resurrection you're reading the wrong fic, Just not the way that you're expecting, Necromancy, Not Mack, Potentially Offensive Language, Zak Bagans is Inhuman, Zak falls in love with an inhuman, coulson is dead, no really, or does she
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupremeFamilyFan/pseuds/SupremeFamilyFan
Summary: GAC responds to an emergency call from the owner of a haunted hotel in Wichita, KS.  What they don't know is that the hotel is a front for Jiaying to draft Inhumans into her own army.  Either way, once you check in ... You'll never check out.  This story is kinda AU in that Daisy was named Director after Coulson's death instead of Mack.  Just because I want her to be Director.  She and her team go to the hotel to stop Jiaying and Jiaying sets off a terrigen bomb to find out if the GAC crew is Inhuman.  Turns out they all are ('cause I love them all (especially Zak) and I just can't kill any of them).  So, Daisy and her team take them back to SHIELD to help them adapt to their newfound abilities.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Zak Bagans
Kudos: 6





	1. Secrets of the Dead

* * *

**Ghost Adventures: SHIELD**

**Disclaimer:**  
As always, I own nothing except Daeva Rinehart.

**Rating:**  
M (for language)

**Genre:**  
Action/Adventure | Angst | Drama | Hurt/Comfort | Romance

**Pairing:**  
Zaisy (Zak Bagans/Daisy Johnson)

**Lyrics Used:**  
Ron Wasserman - "Cross My Line (Redux)" | China Anne McClain - "What's My Name" | Dove Cameron - "Born Ready"

* * *

Secrets of the Dead

* * *

_You have a reason | You have a rhyme | You had the thinking to cross my line | You are the soul mate | You are the crime | You’ve gone too far | You’ve crossed my line_

* * *

“Daisy!” Deke Shaw called out, rushing up to the SHIELD Director. “Fitzsimmons just found some intel that I think you really need to see.” He advised, urgently.

“What is it?” Daisy questioned; concern etched on her countenance.

“You’re gonna have to see it to believe it.” The intensity in the young man’s eyes spoke volumes of the urgency of his news. Daisy knew she needed to investigate the matter.

“Lead the way.” Daisy replied, following Deke back to where he’d come from in the briefing room on the Zephyr. Approaching the table in the center of the room, Deke tapped and swiped across a few screens until she found what she’d been looking for.

“Fitzsimmons just found this.” Deeke spoke quietly yet still with a sense of urgency. As an image came up on the screen on the surface of the table before her, Daisy instantly felt her blood run cold at the sight of the face that popped up on the screen.

“This has to be fake.” Daisy muttered, mostly to herself. “It has to be.” She added, her voice growing in strength, as she turned to Deke. “My mother is _dead_. I watched my dad **kill her _right before my eyes_**.” She argued, vehemently. “There is just no way that picture is real.”

Deke considered his friend and director with a look of sympathetic remorse. “They’ve already verified it. Your mother _is_ , in fact, _alive_.” He refuted, gently. 

Daisy just stared at the sight before her in shock. She just couldn’t wrap her mind around what she was seeing her. It wasn’t enough that she’d been forced to witness her father murder her mother to protect their daughter? It wasn’t enough that her mother had murdered the closest thing she’d ever had to a father? Evidently, not. Because the bitch was back. But what did she want, now?! Daisy had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew, and she knew they had to stop her. Fast.

* * *

_This is all hands on deck | Callin’ out to lost boys and girls | I’m getting’ tired of the disrespect | We won’t stop til we rule the world | It’s out time we are next | Our sails about to be set | They ain’t seen nothin’ yet | Tell ‘em who’s in charge so they don’t forget_

_What’s my name? | What’s my name? | Say it louder | What’s my name? | What’s my name? | Feel the power | No one’s gonna stop us so the world will be ours | What’s my name? | What’s my name? | What’s it? What’s it? | Say it, say it | Say it loud_

* * *

“You sent for me, Jiaying?” Daeva Rinehart asked, by way of greeting, as she approached her leader.

“I did, Daeva.” Jiaying Johnson smiled, darkly, as she turned to face her subordinate. “These gentlemen that you’re wanting to lure here…” She began, crossing the room to stand before Daeva. “…You’re certain that they will help us in our plans?”

Daeva reacted with a confident smile. “Absolutely. I have seen the powers that course through Zak Bagans’ veins and they are just screaming to be let out. They will serve us, quite nicely.”

“And, what of the others?” Jiaying asked, curiously.

“Their blood status remains unclear.” Daeva conceded but was quick to follow up. “However … I believe – even if they are not Inhuman – they could still be of use to us as bargaining chips. If Bagans refuses to join our cause, it is my resolute belief that he will do absolutely anything to save his friends and his teammates. This is why I’ve recommended luring them here along with Bagans. If they _are_ Inhuman, I believe we can turn them – their wills seem to be easier to crack than Bagans. And if they’re not, we can torture them until Bagans believes that joining us will spare their lives.”

“But you know that we cannot let them live.” Jiaying countered. “What do you plan to do with them after we persuade Mr. Bagans?”

“Once Mr. Bagans is securely turned to our side … Nathaniel will have his fun.” Daeva assured her leader with a dark and menacing smile. “The rest of Zak Bagans’ team … If they’re not Inhuman … Will tragically disappear … Never to be found.”

“Good.” Jiaying drawled, darkly, turning back to her grand, floor-to-ceiling window behind her desk in her office. Clasping her hands behind her back as she moved back toward the window, she spoke again. “Very well, Daeva. You may proceed as planned.”

Daeva just nodded as she replied “Of course. We won’t let you down.” She added, before turning on her heel to take her leave.

“I should certainly hope not.” Jiaying muttered, to herself, quietly.

* * *

_Ready set | Time to be a fighter | Don’t look down | Keep on climbin’ higher | Be yourself ‘cause heroes shine in different ways_

_And when your voice can’t make a sound | Just know we hear you all around | Don’t need to fit into the crowd | To be a force of nature_

_‘Cause we’re gonna be, we’re gonna be, we’re gonna be the best | They’re gonna see, they’re gonna see we were born for this_

* * *

“I’ve called you all together because I just got an emergency call for us to come and investigate a hotel in Kansas.” Zak Bagans began informing the rest of his crew as to why he had called them in for an emergency meeting. “As I was researching new locations for us to investigate, I got this desperate call from a woman named Jiaying Johnson. She’s the owner of a hotel called the Afterlife–“

“No fuckin’ way, dude!” Aaron Goodwin immediately interjected, recognizing the name of the hotel he’d heard so many horror stories about. “You know I will follow you to … a lot of dark and twisted and fucked up places.” He argued, vehemently. “But I am _not_ going anywhere _near_ that fuckin’ place!”

“I gotta side with Aaron on this one, dude!” Billy Tolley concurred, nodding his head in agreement with his friend and colleague’s sentiments.

“Yeah, dude.” Jay Wasley interjected his own agreement. “I’ve heard some seriously fucked up stories about that place.”

“Same here!” Aaron added. “A number of other teams and psychics and investigators have all gone to investigate that place and _none of them_ were **ever** seen or heard from again.” He elaborated. “Just completely disappeared! Never to be found!” The rest of the group watched as Aaron’s eyes widened with horror.

“He’s right, dude!” Billy added on to Aaron’s argument. “You can’t seriously be thinking about investigating that place!”

“It’s suicide, dude!” Jay exclaimed, eyes wide with shock and horror.

“I hear everything that you’re saying, and I will freely admit that there is something goin’ on in that hotel. But that is exactly why I think we need to go check it out!” Zak argued while acknowledging his colleagues’ concerns. “Jiaying is desperate! It’s not just investigators that are disappearing. It’s happening to her guests, too. People are afraid to stay there!” The lead investigator elaborated, pleading the hotel owner’s case on her behalf. “I mean, this is her business! This is her livelihood! She could lose her business and her home!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jay interjected, astounded by what he’d just heard. “You mean to tell us that this chick _knows_ what kind of shit is going down in her hotel and she’s still _living there_?!”

“Dude, I know that this is her livelihood, but damn …” Aaron sighed, heavily. “Maybe she’d be better off closing the business, selling the building and just starting over.” He added, dragging his hands over his face.

“It’s not that easy, man.” Zak argued, adamantly. “I mean, everybody knows about this place. They’ve all heard the stories. She’s _tried_ to sell the place. But nobody wants it! She seriously can’t even _give_ this place, away.” The lead investigator elaborated, demonstrating his drive to help the poor woman.

Aaron, Billy, and Jay all listened to Zak’s account of Jiaying’s story and the story of the Afterlife Hotel. Admittedly, they did sympathize with the woman. Part of them even wanted to help her. But there were also terrified that trying to help her may well be the last thing that they ever do. And they couldn’t even guarantee that they would succeed and not just die in vain.

“Look, you guys … This woman definitely needs help.” Zak went to say. “And I have already decided that I am willing to accept the risk. … But I want you all to know that I will fully understand if any of you are not able to accept the risk.” He added. “Just tell me, right now, and I will fully understand and respect your decision.” Zak paused to look at each of his friends and colleagues with an intense stare that conveyed his drive and determination along with the sincerity of his promise to understand and respect their decision should they refuse the investigation. “But once we move beyond this point … There is no turning back. If you want in, we need to all be all in – one hundred percent!”

The other investigators all shared an intense look as a heavy silence fell over the group. Deep down, they all knew they could not let Zak investigate that hotel alone. Sending him into that investigation alone – with no back up – was as good as signing his death warrant.

Aaron sighed heavily as he knew what he had to do. He didn’t like it, but he knew he had to do it. “Fine.” He agreed. “If you’re in … I’m in.”

“Me, too.” Billy concurred.

Jay Wasley felt all eyes on him. With or without the peer pressure of everyone staring him down, he had already made up his mind. “Same here.” He added his own agreement.

“Don’t … say this, lightly.” Zak warned, solemnly. “If this is gonna work … If we’re gonna be able to help this woman and live to tell the tale … We all need to be one hundred percent committed.”

“Look, dude.” Aaron replied in all seriousness. “I’m not saying that this is gonna be a walk in the park.” He conceded, before Billy finished his thought.

“But there is absolutely _no fucking way_ **any** of us are gonna let you set foot in that place alone.” Billy added, adamantly. 

“Absolutely!” Jay concurred. “If you’re going in, we’re goin’ in … We’re goin’ in right behind you.”

“We got your back, no matter what.” Aaron added. “One thousand percent. Anywhere, anytime. You know that.”

Zak looked around to all his friends. Aaron was right. He knew he could always count on them to have his back, one hundred percent. That’s why they were his team. He needed a team around him that he could always completely depend on – no matter what. Still, he needed to give them that opportunity to back out if they so desired. He couldn’t just expect them to walk into this kind of situation without giving them a choice. But looking around at his friends, he saw their sincerity and determination written in their eyes. “All right, then … Let’s do this … Wichita, Kansas, here we come.”

* * *

_So, if it takes forever | We’ll save the world, together | We were born ready | We were born ready, yeah, yeah, yeah | And, if your heart surrenders | We’ll hold it up together | We were born ready | We were born ready | Don’t care if the world ain’t ready for me_

* * *

“And you’re _absolutely_ **sure** this is legit?!” Daisy asked, turning to Fitz and Simmons, who had joined her and Deke in the briefing room.

“Absolutely, Director.” Jemma Simmons confirmed.

“Jemma … We’ve talked about this…” Daisy replied, gently. “It’s just us, here. You can still call me Daisy.”

“Yes, Di – I mean Daisy.” The biochemist replied, sheepishly.

“Jemma and I have triple-checked this data.” Fitz concurred, bringing the conversation back on-topic. “Jiaying is, indeed, alive and operating a supposedly haunted hotel in Kansas.” He added, though the scoff of his skepticism was evident in his voice.

“Seriously?” Daisy added, scoffing at the idea, herself. “A haunted hotel?” Shaking her head, she added “Well, I definitely gotta give her points for unpredictability.”

“As a scientist, you know I’ve never believed in the paranormal.” Jemma conceded, knowing how absurd it all sounded. “And I still don’t believe there any actual ghosts. But I will say that something is definitely going on in that hotel.”

“’Something’?” Daisy repeated, the question clear in her voice.

“There are stories that people check into this hotel … But they never check out …” Fitz replied before pausing suggestively. “If … ya know what I mean.”

“People are saying that anybody who checks into that hotel is never seen or heard from, again.” Jemma added.

“Yeah, thanks, I think we all got that part.” Deke replied, sarcastically. 

“Lose the sarcasm, Deke.” Daisy warned, clearly unimpressed with his joke.

“We believe that Jiaying may be trying to build a new army.” Fitz added. “There have been reports of paranormal investigators going in to investigate the hotel and they’ve never been found.”

“Well, I definitely don’t buy into the whole ghost story thing.” Daisy began, reviewing the information on the screen before her. “But I definitely think we need to shut this whole damn thing down. Now.”


	2. The Afterlife Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The GAC crew shows up to investigate/explore The Afterlife Hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a comment! I love the feedback! This is my first time writing Ghost Adventures. I could really use the feedback to make sure I'm doing it right!

* * *

** Ghost Adventures: SHIELD **

* * *

**Disclaimer:  
** As always, I own nothing except Daeva Rinehart, Britny, and Ariel Cooper.

 **Rating:**  
M (for language)

 **Genre:**  
Action/Adventure | Angst | Drama | Hurt/Comfort | Romance

 **Pairing:**  
Zaisy (Zak Bagans/Daisy Johnson)

 **Lyrics Used:**  
Meat Loaf – “Objects In the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are”

* * *

The Afterlife Hotel

* * *

_But it was long ago, and it was far away | Oh God, it seems so very far | And if life is just a highway | Then the soul is just a car | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are_

* * *

“We are here – in Wichita, Kansas – because I got an emergency call from the owner of this beautiful hotel behind me: _The Afterlife Hotel_.” Zak Bagans began his introductions for the cameras as he stood outside the location for their next investigation. “Now, I’m sure that a lot of you out there in TV Land, watching this at home have heard the stories. But, for those who haven’t, I can guarantee that this promises to be our most dangerous and intriguing episode, yet!” The lead investigator promised. “There are reports that people check _into_ this hotel, but they never check _out_. The owner, Jiaying, is desperate; not only for answers but for help to save her dying business. Now, we did have a _Ghost Adventures_ fan reach out to us with her own story of her experience relating to this hotel. And here she comes, now.” Zak added as a blue Ford Fiesta pulled up and parked outside the hotel. A young woman who appeared to be in her early thirties with an average build and roughly the host’s own height with dirty blonde hair clad in dark wash jeans and a black tee shirt and black combat boots exited the car and came to meet Zak on the sidewalk outside the hotel. “Hey there! I’m Zak!” He greeted the young woman, extending his hand.

“Hey, Zak! I’m Britny!” The young woman greeted, shaking the proffered hand. “But you can call me Brit.”

“Nice to meet you, Brit. Thanks for being a fan and for agreeing to come and meet with us.” Zak replied, gratefully.

“Yeah, of course!” Britny smiled, slightly.

“So, what can you tell us about The Afterlife Hotel?” Zak asked, curiously.

“Well, it was fourteen years ago.” Britny began. “I was a sophomore in high school and my best friend’s parents were going through a divorce and she and her mom came to stay in this hotel while her mom looked for a new place for them to live.” She went on as the team of investigators all listened and almost seemed to hang on her every word. “I remember warning Ariel and her mom about this place. I told them ‘There is something evil here.’!”

“You believe that there is an evil entity in this hotel?” Zak asked, eager to confirm what he was hearing.

“Oh, I don’t _think_!” Britny replied, her southern drawl coming on thicker. “I _know_! I _know_ there is something absolutely evil, in this place!” She insisted. “And I told Ariel’s mom ‘You’re a mom! It is _your job_ to protect your child! You and Ariel cannot stay here!’ … Hell, my parents even invited them to come and stay with us!”

“And what did she say to that?” Zak questioned, intrigued by the young woman’s story.

“Mrs. Cooper just scoffed.” Britny replied. “She told me that I was just being naïve in buying into all the ‘urban legends’ as she called them.” She added as the anger and frustration brought on by the memory brought back flashed across her face. “And so I told Ariel to call me every night before she went to bed and every single morning when she woke up just so I would know that she was safe – that she was okay.” Britny recounted her story as her body language took on a profound sadness.

“And did she?” Zak wondered, gently. An expression of empathy and warmth took over his face as he moved to stand closer to Britny.

“No.” Britny replied, her voice with emotion as tears slipped, unbidden, from her eyes which she quickly wiped away.

Zak was overcome by a wave of empathy as he wrapped Britny into a tight embrace.

“I’m sorry.” Britny cried as her voice cracked and shook though muffled by Zak’s shoulder.

“No, no, no.” Zak reassured the young woman in his arms. “It’s okay! Never apologize for speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves! If Ariel’s spirit is still trapped in this hotel, you have no idea how much you can help her just by telling her story, okay?” He offered, his own voice muffled as he rested his face in the crook of Britny’s shoulder and neck.

Billy, Jay, and Aaron watched exchange from their position, just off camera. They all shared Zak’s empathy for the young woman. Finally, they couldn’t take it, anymore, as they all encircled Britny and Zak in a warm group hug.

“Zak’s right.” Aaron interjected his agreement through his own voice was also muffled in the embrace.

“You wouldn’t believe how many spirits out there just hang around waiting for their story to be told.” Jay added.

“They just wanna be heard.” Billy confirmed. “Just like us. They just wanna tell their story.”

“And that’s where we come in.” Zak added, speaking softly into Britny’s ear, grateful for his team as they all continued to surround the young woman with love and support and positive energy. “We are here to make sure all their stores are heard. Ariel’s, too.”

“Thank you!” Britny replied, calming down as she took in the support surrounding her. The four men held her for another moment before releasing her.

“You good?” Aaron asked, carefully, as they all released their grip on her.

“Yeah.” Britny affirmed, drawing a steadying breath, regaining her composure. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks, you guys.” She added with a soft smile as she shyly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Anytime.” Jay replied, with a soft smile of his own.

“Can you tell us any more about Ariel?” Zak asked, gently.

“All I know is that I helped her, and her mom pack up before they left their house.” Britny shrugged, helplessly. “That was the last time I ever saw or heard from them.” She added, sadly. “My dad called the police the day after they checked into the hotel and since Ariel was still a minor, they went and did a welfare check.”

“And what did they find?” Zak questioned, gently.

“They were gone.” Britny replied, simply. “All of their clothes and their belongings were still there, in their room. Nothing had been packed up like you would expect to see if they were planning to leave or to check out of the hotel.”

“What happened, next?” Aaron asked, curiously.

“Well, they started asking around to see if anyone had seen or heard from them.” Britny replied. “Eventually, they launched a formal missing persons investigation.”

“Did they ever find them?” Jay questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“No, they did not.” Britny replied, very matter-of-factly. “To this day, they had never even found their bodies.” The tone of her voice and the blunt meaning in her words chilled the investigators to their very cores. 

“Did they ever have any suspects?” Billy wondered, aloud.

“Well, of course, they questioned Ariel’s dad, Mr. Cooper.” Britny replied.

Zak nodded as he hummed his agreement. “Naturally.”

“But they eventually cleared him.” Britny continued. “They never found any other suspects or leads of any kind.” She added, regretfully.

“Well I promise you.” Zak replied, sincerely. “We will do absolutely everything within our power to get answers for Ariel and her mother.” He vowed, resting a hand on Britny’s shoulder, before turning to face the camera. “And for anybody else that may be trapped in The Afterlife Hotel.” He added, resolutely.

“Can I…” Britny spoke up, shyly. “Would y’all mind if I took some pictures with you guys?” She asked, sheepishly.

“Are you kidding?” Zak grinned. “Of course you can!” He added, eagerly waving Billy, Jay, and Aaron over to join them. “Get in here, guys!”

Britny’s face broke out into an all-consuming grin as she excitedly fished her phone out of her pocket. Passing the phone off to the camera operator, she moved in to pose with the investigators for what ended up being a series of photos. First, each of the guys posed with her, independently, before all joining in for a few group photos.

“All right, Brit.” Zak began, hopefully. “I know you’re a big fan of the show.” He added as Britny nodded her agreement. “So, I’m sure you know what I’m about to ask you.”

“Yeah, nope!” Britny replied, firmly, holding her hands up in refusal.

“’Nope’?” Zak repeated, curiously.

“Nope!” Britny confirmed. “You’re gonna ask me to join you on your investigation.” She added, knowingly. “And under any other circumstances at any other haunted location, I would be all over it! But not here! There is not a force on Earth or in Heaven that could get me to set foot in that hotel!” She added, adamantly. “Not even you, Zak, could get me in that hotel!”

“So, there’s nothing we could do to persuade you?” Zak wondered, curiously.

“Absolutely nothing!” Britny confirmed. “Given everything I know about this place, I’ve already got my entire church praying for all of your souls.” She added. The seriousness in her voice shook all four investigators. “In fact, if it’s okay with you guys … I would just like to take a moment to pray over all of your safety and protection.” She offered, humbly.

“Absolutely.” Zak replied, gratefully, as Billy, Jay, and Aaron all joined him. “We would absolutely welcome and appreciate that.”

“For sure.” Aaron agreed.

“Totally.” Confirmed Jay.

“Please do.” Billy added, eagerly.

Britny smiled, warmly, as the investigators all lined up in front of her. All four men bowed their heads and closed their eyes, in reverent silence, as they clasped their hands together as, loosely, in front of them as they relaxed their arms to let their clasped hands rested low, over their thighs while they all waited, patiently, for her to begin. “Dear Father, You are like a wing that shelters Your children, strong in your protection and soft in your grace. You are like a shield that encircles them each day. I pray that You will watch over and guide and protect and watch over Zak, Billy, Jay and Aaron as they venture into this place of darkness in the hopes of freeing any souls that may be lost or trapped in the darkness of this place so that those souls may know the everlasting peace and glory of Your kingdom. May You be like a crown upon their heads: a symbol of sonship, of belonging and of their adoption into Your family.”

As Britny prayed over them, all four men felt a wave of warmth wash over them. They all soaked up an overall feeling of peace and security that settled over them as she continued to pray for their safety.

“Lord, I pray that You will stand with these soldiers of mercy on their mission.” Britny prayed, solemnly, as she closed her eyes and lifted her head toward the Heavens. “Lord, I pray that no harm may befall them while they are in this place. I pray that You will allow them to walk away with no attachments or any dark or evil entities following them in any way, shape, or form, when they leave this place. Lord God, You are their hiding place, and under Your wings, they can always find refuge. I ask You to protect Zak, Jay, Billy, and Aaron wherever they may go. I ask You to keep evil far from them. No matter where they go, they can always low to You as their Protector, the one who will fight for them each every day. I pray for Your love and faithfulness – along with Your goodness and mercy – to surround them so that they need never fear whatever may come against them. Their trust is in You, God, and we give you thanks for Your love and protection.” Opening her eyes, Britny held the investigators with her gaze as she ended her prayer. “In Jesus’ name, we pray.”

The investigators all joined in and spoke the final word, with her, in unison. “Amen.”

Britny lowered her hand as the four men before her all raised their heads and opened their eyes. “Britny … From the bottom of my heart …” Zak began, humbly. “ … I just wanna thank you – not only for a great testimonial – but, for taking the time to do something that no other fan has ever done for us.”

“I wanna second that sentiment.” Aaron agreed, solemnly.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ve ever had a fan pray over us, like that.” Jay added, thoughtfully.

“That was seriously unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life.” Billy added, awestruck at the power of the feelings that washed over him while Britny prayed over them.

“I obviously can’t speak for you guys…” Zak gestured to his friends and colleagues, as he spoke. “But as you were praying … I just felt this wave of warmth and peace wash over me.”

“ _Exactly_!” Aaron replied, emphatically.

“I just had this feeling like we could take on anything!” Jay agreed.

“I just got this feeling of safety like I have never felt.” Billy added.

“That’s Him.” Britny smiled, softly. “He is with you, and that’s good.” She added as her smile began to fade. “Because you are gonna need all the help you can get, while you’re in this place of pure evil.”

“We definitely want to thank you for everything.” Zak repeated, sincerely. “I just have to say that I feel like I need to give you another hug.” He added, holding his arms our in an inviting manner. “May I?”

“Bring it in!” Britny smiled, accepting the proffered embrace. The other three investigators all stepped forward for another hug before Britny said her goodbyes and left them with well-wishes for their mission at The Afterlife Hotel.

* * *

“I’ve got that data you requested, Daisy.” Leo Fitz declared as he entered the briefing room. Approaching the holographic display where the Director stood.

“It looks like Jiaying has a number of followers but the main two are Daeva Rinehart and Nathaniel Blackmon.” Jemma supplied, reciting the research she had helped Fitz to compile.

“These are two right nasty Inhumans.” Fitz mused. “Daeva seems to be the one that lures victims in for Jiaying to test with Terrigen Crystals.”

“If the poor unfortunate souls are not Inhuman…” Jemma began before Daisy cut in.

“We all know what Terrigen does to humans.” Daisy interjected, steadfastly ignoring the chill that ran through her as the memory of Puerto Rico ran through her mind.

“Yes, well…” Jemma continued, awkwardly. “It seems that the ones who are Inhuman don’t seem to be much better off.” She added, before Fitz joined in.

“That’s right.” Fitz concurred with his wife’s sentiment. “It seems the one who are Inhuman are faced with a bit of a Sophie’s Choice, if you will.”

Upon meeting with Daisy’s clearly unimpressed countenance, Jemma quickly elaborated “What Fitz means to say is that … Those that are Inhuman are forced into service in the new army Jiaying appears to be building … usually under duress.”

“Jiaying and her flying monkeys threaten to either kill them or their families if they don’t join her ranks.” Fitz deadpanned.

“And it gets worse.” Jemma added. “It seems she’s lured a new team of paranormal investigators to her hotel.”

“Well, I’m still definitely not sold on the idea of the paranormal aspect of this whole situation.” Daisy mused, staring at the data before her. “But we definitely need to get in there and shut this shit down.” She added, grimly. “Those poor guys don’t know what the hell they’re walking into.” Turning to their pilot, she added “May, I need you to set a course for Wichita, Kansas.” The pilot nodded, curtly, before turning to return to the cockpit. “Everybody else … Get ready for a fight.”

* * *

Walking into the hotel’s main lobby, Zak was immediately struck by how empty the lobby was. “Hello?” He called out as he stepped through the entrance. He was also immediately struck by the serene décor of the hotel. The walls were a pristine white as were the marble floors. The woodwork was a stark contrast in warmer tones of mahogany. The light fixtures lit up the room in a bright white glow.

“Holy crap!” Aaron muttered as he, too, took in the serene vibe of the décor. He was surprised because after everything he’d heard about this place, he had expected to walk into a totally different vibe. He could only hope that the décor wasn’t lulling them into a false sense of security. Looking around, he noted large floor-to-ceiling windows which housed picturesque views of a magnificent garden out back, behind the hotel.

“Dude, what are those?” Billy wondered, looking up at the chandelier, as he noted small sapphire blue decorations hanging off of the light fixture. Upon closer inspections, he noted they were speckles with flecks of black. Turning to their resident crystal expert, Jay, he asked “You know what those are, dude?”

Jay looked up to the chandelier and considered the crystal-looking decorations on the light fixture in question.

“What?” Zak asked, turning to see what had gotten his friend’s attention. Looking at Jay, he could see a look of intense concentration on his friend’s countenance. “What is it, Jay?” He asked, cautiously. He had rarely seen that look on the man’s face before. It definitely concerned him, given everything they had just been told.

Jay just remained silent as he continued to try to study the crystals, overhead. Admittedly, he was at a disadvantage. The ceiling was quite high up and limited his vantage point. _Nah …_ He thought to himself. _They can’t be. No one would be that stupid._ The investigator told himself. Still, he definitely knew he wanted to get a closer look at the chandelier, later.

“Jay, man, you okay?” Billy questioned, when his friend had remained silent.

“What is it, dude?” Aaron asked, concerned. “What are you seein’?”

Shaking his head clear, Jay finally seemed to return to the present. “Huh? Oh! Sorry, guys.” He muttered, quickly. “I was just trying to figure out what those decorations were, on the chandelier.” He added.

“Yeah? What are they?” Zak asked, curious as to what had held his friend’s attention for so long.

“I don’t know.” Jay shrugged. “It’s hard to tell from here.” He elaborated while silently hoping they weren’t what he suspected they _could_ be.

“Welcome to The Afterlife.” The four investigators all nearly jumped out of their skin as a young woman appeared out of nowhere. She was on the shorter side – just over five feet tall – with a slender, lean, build and bronzed, almost sunkissed, skin and dirty blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves and rich chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed in a striking sapphire blue button-down dress blouse and sleek black dress pants and black leather high-heel shoes. Her sudden greeting was met by a chorus of simultaneous shouts and exclamations of shock.

“Jesus!” Aaron cried out in shock as his hand flew to his chest as if to calm his suddenly racing heart.

“Fuck!” Billy exclaimed, just as startled as Aaron had been at the young woman’s sudden appearance.

“Whoa!” Jay declared, trying to his own heart rate.

“Holy shit!” Zak swore, clutching his own chest he struggled to steady his breathing as he came down from the sudden shock.

“My goodness, are you guys all right?” The young woman asked, concern etched in her voice. “You all look like you just saw a ghost.” She smiled, softly. “You doin’ okay, hun?” She asked, gently, stroking Zak’s arm, soothingly.

Though he couldn’t explain it, Zak felt a wave of calm wash over him the moment the young woman touched his arm. “Y-yeah, I’m-I’m good.” He replied, feeling more like his normal self, slowly. “You guys okay?” He asked, turning his attention to his crew. “Aaron? … Billy? … Jay?”

“Yeah, man.” Aaron replied. “All good, here.”

“I’m all right.” Billy concurred.

Jay just nodded and demonstrated his agreement with a thumbs up.

“Well, my name is Daeva.” The young woman introduced herself. “Welcome to The Afterlife. How can I help you fellas, today?”

“My name is Zak, pleasure to meet you, Daeva.” Zak replied, reaching out and shaking the young woman’s hand. “This is Aaron, Billy and Jay.” He added, introducing his crew who each waived in turn. “We’re here to speak with the owner, Jiaying. Is she around?”

“Yes, of course.” Daeva smiled. “She’s just upstairs in her office.” She added, as she turned and motioned for the guys to follow her. “Right this way.” She spoke, invitingly.

The men all turned to follow Daeva. As they ascended the staircase, they continued to take in the aesthetic of the hotel. Along the staircase, there were more windows overlooking the garden they’d seen, earlier. Outside, they could see flowers of all different shapes and colors dancing in the breeze. The whole scene evoked an overall sense of serenity that they didn’t often encounter at the locations they investigated. Silently, Zak was just hopeful that the clean, soothing air about the hotel meant he wouldn’t have to wear a mask or a respirator. The pristine white walls were decorated with various portraits; most of which were of serene landscapes such as forests and waterfalls, but some were of other peaceful images like adorable little cherub angels.

“So, Daeva, how long have you been working here?” Zak questioned, mentally forcing himself back into interview mode.

“My first anniversary is actually coming up, next week, on the fifteenth.” Daeva smiled, proudly. “So, I will have been here one year as of next Wednesday.” She elaborated.

“Wow, a year!” Zak repeated. “Well, congrats on your upcoming anniversary.” He congratulated the young employee.

“Thank you!” Daeva smiled.

“So, in the time that you’ve been here, have you had any paranormal experiences?” Zak asked.

“Oh yeah!” Daeva replied. “All the time.”

All four investigators shared stunned countenances. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They had never seen anyone talk about paranormal experiences so nonchalantly.

“In fact, there’s a running joke among the staff that you’ve not officially hired on, here, until you’ve had your first encounter with a spirit.” Daeva replied, pausing as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs. “Me, personally, I hear a lot of voices that I just can’t explain.”

“What kind of voices?” Zak probed for more information to guide them in their investigation.

“I’ve heard a lot of voices, but, the one I hear the most is what sounds like a fifteen-year-old girl–“ Daeva began, before being interrupted as the investigators all turned to each other in shocked excitement.

“Dude!” Aaron exclaimed. “That girl that Britny was just telling us about!” He began.

Seeing where Aaron was going with that train of thought, Billy interjected “Yeah, yeah! How old do you think she woulda been when she and her mom disappeared?!”

“She could have easily been around fifteen!” Jay concurred.

“What does this fifteen-year-old girl usually say?” Zak asked, both excited and concerned in equal measures. Given what he’d been told about the hotel, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that something much darker and much more malevolent could be masquerading as a fifteen-year-old girl to deceive the people in the hotel.

“Sometimes, it sounds like she’s trying to maybe warn me about something?” Daeva wondered, thoughtfully. “I hear her saying things like ‘Run!’.”

“’Warning you’?” Zak probed, immediately on alert. “What do you think she might be trying to warn you about?”

“Honestly, I really don’t know for sure.” Daeva replied, shrugging. “I’ve just always been under the assumption that it has something to do with all the people who have disappeared, here.”

“That’s probably a pretty safe bet given the history of this place.” Aaron agreed.

“Yeah, and other times, it’s like she’s asking for help.” Daeva added to her story. “Every now and then, I’ll just hear–“

“…help me?…” Daeva and the investigators all froze when they heard a young, teenage, girl asking for help.

“What the-?!” Billy declared, immediately looking all around for the source of the sound.

“Holy shit!” Aaron jumped in shock for the second time since entering the hotel.

“Jesus!” Jay declared in unison with Billy, Aaron and even Zak.

“What the fuck was that?!” Zak exclaimed, looking for the origin of the voice. “You all heard that, right?!” He asked, seeking validation for what he had just heard.

“Dude, I _definitely_ heard that!” Aaron confirmed.

“It sounded like a teenage girl asking, ‘Can you help me?’…” Billy confirmed that he’d heard the same voice the others had heard.

“I definitely heard ‘help me?’!” Jay offered, imitating the questioning tone in the disembodied voice.

“That was her.” Daeva replied, confirming that she’d heard it, too.

“That was her?!” Zak repeated, buzzing with excitement. “Aw, dude! Please tell me we captured that!”

“There’s no way we _didn’t_ capture that!” Jay affirmed.

“Yeah, man, we all heard that with our own ears.” Billy elaborated. “There’s no way our mics and the cameras didn’t get that!”

“Lemme see! Lemme see! Lemme see!” Zak asked, excitedly, as the audio tech prepared to play back the requested audio. Holding the headphones to his ear, Zak listened, intently, as he waited for the voice. _“Can you help me?”_ The voice was quiet – like it was far away – but it was definitely there. “ **Hell** yeah!” Zak declared, triumphantly, jumping for joy! “That’s! What! I’m talking! About!” He rambled, animatedly. Turning to the camera, he spoke more calmly. “As paranormal investigators, **that** is _exactly_ the kind of capture that we live for!”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Daeva assured the lead investigator. “There’s plenty more where that came from. You are, after all … in The Afterlife.” She smirked. Watching the young woman’s countenance as she made her joke, the four investigators all immediately felt extremely uneasy.

“I gotta say…” Zak began, carefully. “Given the history of this place and everything that we’ve been told … I really don’t think that this is a time for joking.” He added, sternly. “People are disappearing and never being found … I definitely don’t think it would be overstating things to say that this is no laughing matter. This a do or die situation.”

Their young guide immediately sobered up as she spoke, apologetically. “You’re right, I apologize. I’m sorry, it’s just a coping mechanism of mine. But you’re totally right.” She elaborated. “Shall we continue?”

“Lead the way.” Zak replied, his voice softening at the young woman’s apology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts on this story! I'm super excited about it and without your feedback I can only hope you are, too!


	3. The Hammer's Comin' Down

* * *

**Ghost Adventures: SHIELD**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**  
As always, I own nothing. Except Britny, Nathaniel and Daeva.

 **Rating:**  
M

 **Genre:**  
Action/Adventure | Angst | Drama | Hurt/Comfort | Romance

 **Pairing:**  
Zaisy (Zak Bagans/Daisy Johnson)

 **Lyrics Used:**  
Meat Loaf – “Objects In the Rear-View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are | Nickelback – “The Hammer’s Comin’ Down” | Nickelback – “Lullaby”

* * *

The Hammer's Comin' Down

* * *

_We were racing we were soldiers of fortune | We got in trouble but we sure got around | There are times I think I see him peeling out in the dark | I think he’s right behind me now and he’s gaining ground_

_But, it was long ago and it was far away | Oh, God, it seems so very far | And if life is just a highway | Then, the soul is just a car | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are | And objects in the rear view mirror | May appear closer than they are_

* * *

“I’ve been analyzing the blueprints of The Afterlife Hotel and I think the best entry point would be through the basement.” Fitz spoke, opening the holographic document with the blueprints of The Afterlife Hotel for everyone else to see. “There.” He declared, pointing to an entrance. “This door connects to a tunnel which connects to a manhole in the street a few blocks away from the hotel. Jiaying won’t be able to see us coming so we should have the element of surprise.”

“Assuming she hasn’t drafted any psychics into her little army.” Daisy replied. A little snark was to be expected under the circumstances. After all, they were chasing after a woman that was supposed to be long dead.

“Fair point.” Jemma conceded, gently. “But, for now … It’s the best plan we’ve got.” She reasoned.

“I agree.” Daisy concluded. “Let everyone else know where this entrance is. We’ll be landing soon.

* * *

Knocking on the office door before her, Daeva and the four investigators with her all waited, patiently, for a response before entering. “Wait, here.” Daeva instructed, before easing the door open and slipping into the office. Closing the door behind her, she quickly crossed the room to stand before the desk where Jiaying sat. “They’re here, ma’am.” She spoke, respectfully, as she bowed her head, clasping her hands together, behind her back.

Jiaying smiled, darkly, as she turned her chair around to face her subordinate. “Thank you, Daeva.” She smiled, baring her teeth almost like a shark that had spotted its prey. “You may show them in.” She instructed.

“Of course, ma’am.” Daeva nodded, with a dark smirk of her own as she turned to fetch the investigators waiting just outside the office. “Ms. Johnson will see you, now.” The young hostess spoke, politely, as she ushered the paranormal investigators into the office before slipping out, discreetly.

“Ms. Johnson.” Zak greeted, warmly. “My name is Zak.” He added, introducing himself as he extended his hand to the hotel owner.

“Please, call me Jiaying.” Jiaying smiled, shaking the proffered hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zak.”

“Thank you for that, Jiaying.” Zak replied. “This is my crew.” He added, gesturing to the men with him. “This is Aaron, Billy and Jay. And we’re rolling on this camera, here, is that all right with you?” He asked, carefully, gesturing to the camera on Aaron’s shoulder which was kept trained solely on Zak as they waited to get permission to film the hotel owner.

“Yes, of course.” Jiaying replied, graciously. “Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” Zak replied as Aaron adjusted the camera get the hotel owner in the shot with Zak. “So, what can you tell us about this beautiful hotel of yours?” He asked, delving straight into the interview.

Jiaying smiled, warmly, at the compliment. “You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?” She asked, playfully, causing the lead investigator to blush and then glare at his friends when they started snickering among themselves at the sight.

“This guy?” Aaron quipped, lightly. “Never.”

“Shut up, Aaron!” Zak grumbled, embarrassed.

“Well, despite what your friends say…” Jiaying started, gently. “You are an exceedingly kind man. Don’t ever lose that. It’s a rare quality to encounter, these days, and all the more refreshing when you do.” She elaborated, before getting back on topic. “But, to answer your question, I opened this place several years ago so that people could have a place to go to just get away from everything and relax and charge their batteries, so to speak.”

“And, at that time … did you know if this building had any sort of history of people disappearing or any sort of paranormal activity?” Zak probed, continuing the interview.

“Not at that time, no.” Jiaying shook her head, in the negative.

“So, it just started happening after you took possession of the property?” Zak asked, continuing to probe deeper into the situation.

“Yeah, it was the craziest thing.” Jiaying began, her tone reflecting her surprise at the turn of events that had transpired shortly after she had opened her business. “It was literally the first guest that we ever had that came to stay here with us. On their checkout date, we hadn’t seen or heard anything from them so, I sent my front desk manager to check on them.”

“And what did the manager find when they went to check on your guest?” Zak asked, already wrapped up in the hotel owner’s story.

“When she walked in, she said that everything looked fine, at first glance.” Jiaying offered, demonstrating her confusion with a shrug. “Nothing was missing or out of place–“

“So, there were no signs of a struggle or anything like that?” Zak supplied, curiously.

“Yeah, definitely no signs of any kind of a struggle.” Jiaying confirmed. “All of their belongings were still there, and nothing had been packed up like you would expect to see with someone getting ready to leave.” Jiaying added. “We searched the entire property…”

“But you never found them?” Zak prompted.

“That is correct.” Jiaying confirmed. “His family ended up, eventually, calling the police to report him missing when he never returned home. We cooperated, fully, with the investigation, of course. But they never found him.” The hotel owner’s voice took on a darker note.

“And that just keeps happening, over and over again?” Zak asked, surprised by the story he was hearing.

“It does.” Jiaying replied, her helplessness reflected in her voice and her body language. The four men in the room could all feel that she was a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“I gotta ask…” Zak began, reluctantly, treading carefully with his next question. “Have you ever thought of closing down the hotel?”

Jiaying paused as she took a moment to collect herself before she finally responded. “If I’m being perfectly honest…” She began, struggling to keep her voice level and calm. “…the thought has crossed my mind.” The hotel owner sighed, heavily. “But this place has been a dream of mine for so long that I just can’t give up on it without understanding why all of this is happening and without doing everything within my power to stop it.” She added, gesturing helplessly with her hands.

“Well, that is **exactly** _why_ we’re here.” Zak offered, reassuringly. “We are gonna get you the answers you need and we are gonna do everything possible to put a stop to all the malevolent activity and try to help release whatever spirits may be trapped here, so that you can make your business work and live your dreams.” He added, looking directly into the hotel owner’s eyes to drive home this sincerity.

* * *

_Later that evening_

* * *

“So, I wanna just start from the bottom and work our way up, with this investigation.” Zak told his crew once they had finished setting up their equipment. “Jiaying was saying, earlier, that her employees all refuse to go down to the basement alone. That’s why I suggest that we start here.” He elaborated before gesturing to Billy and Jay as he began doling out assignments. “Billy and Jay, I want you guys to start at that end…” Zak paused to point toward the opposite end of the basement. “While Aaron and I start at this side.” He added. “Then, we’ll meet in the middle and get ready to make our way up to the next floor.”

“You got it, man.” Jay Wasley agreed, ready to get started.

“Sounds good.” Billy Tolley piled on, equally eager.

“Let’s go find us some spirits.” Aaron concurred, also ready to get started.

* * *

“Hey, Aaron?” Zak called to his and colleague.

“Yeah?” Aaron Goodwin acknowledged.

“Why don’t you bust out the spirit box?” Zak suggested, as they set themselves up on their end of the basement.

“On it, dude.” Aaron replied, pulling out the small round speaker from his pocket. Zak waited while his partner switched on the device, causing it to fill the space with a pounding, thumping, white noise.

“Is there anyone here with us?” Zak asked as he and Aaron waited, silently, for an answer.

After a moment of nothing but white noise, both men jumped with excitement as a faint _“…yes…”_ could be heard through the device.

“YES!” Both men declare, in excited triumph, at the clear response.

“What is your name?” Aaron asked the next question. Both men waited several moments, on bated breath, for a response that never came.

“Can you tell us your name?” Zak probed, again, as they waited.

For a moment, it seemed as though they weren’t going to get a response, again, until another much deeper voice responded a bit more clearly. _“…Who?…”_

“’Who?’?” Aaron repeated confused as he turned to Zak. “What do you think means?” He asked, curiously.

“Well, the first voice we got was clearly female.” Zak reasoned, clearly working the problem in his head before a thought struck him. “It sounded like a young girl … didn’t she sound like the disembodied voice we heard, earlier, during the interviews?” He asked, to see if he was the only one who heard the similarity.

“Oh, my god, dude! Stop!” Aaron exclaimed as he played the first voice back in his head. “Dude, you’re so right! You are so right! That was definitely the same girl!”

“I’m talking to the first spirit that answered us…” Zak began, prefacing his question for added clarity. “Were you the same girl we heard, earlier, today?” He asked.

_“Yes.”_ The female spirit confirmed, earning another excited reaction from the investigators.

“’Yes”!” Both men declared, in triumphant unison, at the response.

“Crystal clear!” Zak cheered, excitedly.

“I’m speaking to the same spirit.” Aaron began. “Can you tell us your name?”

_“Ariel.”_ The female spirit replied, again. Both men shared an expression of excited shock at the response.

“I KNEW IT!” Zak cheered. “I _knew_ it was Ariel that we heard, earlier.” He added, reminded of the young girl that Britny had told them about prior to them conducting their interviews. “Can you tell us how many spirits are here?” He asked, staring straight at the device in Aaron’s hand.

_“Many.”_ A third voice – another male voice – came through.

“Holy shit, man!” Aaron exclaimed. “Dude, this is awesome!”

“I agree.” Zak concurred, tingling with excitement. “This is definitely the best spirit box session we’ve ever had!”

“Why are you here?” Aaron asked, waiting on pins and needles for a response.

After a moment of white noise, Ariel came through, again. _“…trapped…here…”_

“Why are you trapped, here?” Zak probed, hoping to get more information. However, no response came through on the spirit box.

“Do you know who trapped you, here?” Aaron asked.

_“Jiaying.”_ This time it was the deeper male voice that came through.

“’Jiaying’?” Zak repeated, brow furrowed in confusion at the mention of the hotel owner’s name. “Did Jiaying trap you?” He asked, not really believing the accusation. He just couldn’t reconcile the vocal tones and body language and the overall energy of the woman he’d interviewed, earlier, with the accusation made against her.

_“Yes.”_ Confirmed the other male spirit. Both men just stared at each other in shock.

“Why did Jiaying trap you?!” Aaron asked, hoping for clarification. “Did she do it on purpose?”

_“Yes.”_ Ariel confirmed as both men’s jaws metaphorically hit the floor. 

_“…her Inhuman Army…”_ Added another female spirit. 

"What the fuck?!” Zak turned to Aaron in disbelief. Neither of them knew what to make of this new information.

“What do you mean?” Aaron asked the spirits.

 _“Not Inhuman.”_ Ariel replied.

 _“…wouldn’t serve…”_ added one of the male voices. Both men just stared at each other in open mouthed shock.

“Are you saying that Jiaying killed you?!” Zak asked, at a complete loss with the direction this session was suddenly taking.

 _“…you…next…”_ A fifth new voice came through, leaving both men speechless. Finally, both men shook themselves out of their shocked state as Zak’s walkie-talkie beeped to life.

 _“Zak, you guys gotta get over here,_ NOW _!”_ Billy exclaimed, animatedly.

* * *

“You wanna start with the puck?” Billy asked as he and Jay pulled out their equipment and began to set up for their investigation.

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” Jay agreed, setting the puck in a spot they had cleared off on the floor.

As they sat on the floor, Bill set up the tablet as he asked his first question. “Is there anyone in here with us?” He asked as he hit the ‘ _ENTER_ ’ button on the tablet. ‘THOUSANDS’ the computer-generated voice rang out as the same word appeared on the screen. “Are you serious?!” Billy wondered, aloud. 

“Did it really just say _‘thousands’_ , just now?!” Jay exclaimed, in stunned disbelief. ‘YES’. The tablet voice rang out a second time, confirming the initial response.

“Dude! It just said ‘Yes’ like it’s saying ‘Yes, I really did just say that’!” Billy replied, buzzing with excitement. “Can any of you tell us your names?” Billy asked as he pressed the ‘ _ENTER_ ’ button, again. This time, the tablet remained silent as the words ‘NO RESPONSE’ appeared in the response field.

“Why are you all here?” Jay asked, as Billy typed the question into the tablet before pressing ‘ _ENTER_ ’. ‘TRAPPED’ came the computer voice as the same word appeared on the tablet screen under the response field.

“Can you tell us who trapped you?” Billy probed, pressing ‘ _ENTER_ ’, again. This time, the computer voice spoke two words as the same two words appeared on the screen. ‘HOTEL’ … ‘OWNER’. 

“Whoa, dude…” Jay replied, shocked by the response. “Are they saying that Jiaying trapped them here?” ‘KILLED’ … ‘TRAPPED’. Responded the computer voice, again.

“What the hell?!” Billy exclaimed. “Dude, it’s responding to you! It’s like ‘Yeah. She killed us and trapped us here.’!” He elaborated, animatedly.

“What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?!” Jay wondered, in shock, as his blood ran cold at the thought of what the device was implying. ‘RUN’ … ‘NEXT’. The computer voice sounded, again.

“DUDE!” Both men shouted in stunned unison.

“What the hell is going on, here?!” Billy wondered, in shock. “Who should run? What’s next?” He asked, anxiously pressing ‘ _ENTER_ ’. ‘YOU’ was the computer’s only response. Shell-shocked, he fumbled for his walkie-talkie. “Zak, you guys gotta get over here, _NOW_!”

* * *

_Where will you be when the sky comes down | And what would you do if the strength was found | Stay right beside me as the ground starts shakin’ | The only sound you’ll hear’s the breath we’re takin’ | If there is one thing I can promise you | We’ll see the light again_

* * *

Slipping through the manhole cover, the SHIELD team gathered, together, just below it to huddle around the map that Fitz was currently illuminating with a flashlight. “The entrance to the hotel is just a few blocks that way.” The engineer informed the team, pointing down the tunnel, straight ahead of them.

“All right, everyone.” Daisy began, gesturing for the team to follow her. “You heard the man. Let’s go.”

As the team followed the director down the tunnel, Melinda May came to walk beside the director. “You gonna be okay to do this?” She asked, quietly.

There was no need for Daisy to ask what the elder agent was referring to. “I’m fine.” She bit out, preferring to stay focused and treat this just like any other mission.

“Are you sure?” Melinda asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Sighing out her frustration, Daisy whipped her head around to face the pilot. “Look…Jiaying may have given birth to me…” She began, agitated frustration clearly evident in her voice.” "…But she gave up any right she ever had to be my mom the moment she tried to con me into turning my back on SHIELD!” Daisy ground out. “As far as I’m concerned, she’s just another dangerous bitch that needs to be stopped at all costs.”

May just smiled, proudly, knowing full-well that she no longer needed to ask her other question. “Good.” Was all she said before letting the subject finally drop.

“So, do you guys really think this place is haunted?” Deke Shaw mused, curious about the prospect of seeing an actual ghost.

“I highly doubt that.” Fitz replied, scoffing at the idea of a haunted hotel.

“Oh, come on.” Deke pushed back. “You don’t even think that there’s just the teeniest little possibility?”

“We’re scientists, Deke!” Jemma sighed, trying to be patient with her sometimes petulant grandson. “It goes against our core beliefs to believe in something that has absolutely no scientific merit.” She reasoned.

“Oh, science-schmience.” Deke scoffed. “Can’t you just even have just a little imagination.

“We’ll want to turn right, up there.” Fitz stated, steadfastly ignoring his grandson’s tiresome arguments. The group followed the turn that Fitz had pointed out.

“Well, what about you, Yo-Yo?” Deke added, turning his attention to the team’s other Inhuman. “What do you think?”

“I was raised to never discount anything.” Elena ‘Yo-Yo’ Rodriguez replied, keeping her eyes peeled for anything as the group continued to make their way toward the hotel through the subterranean tunnels.

“Finally!” Deke declared, triumphantly. “I mean, I’m not saying that the place is gonna be chock-full of demons around every corner. But the idea of a haunted hotel would be pretty damn cool, don’t you think?”

“I think anything related to Jiaying is bad news and is not to be taken lightly.” Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie warned, glaring at Deke, sternly.

“Seconded.” Daisy agreed, from her position at the front of the pack.

“Amen.” May concurred.

* * *

_This is the calm before the comin’ storm | This is the red sky morning without warning now_

* * *

“All right, guys.” Daisy began as the team approached the door to the basement of the hotel. “Once we pass through this door; I want everyone to split up. Radio back if you find anything!” She ordered.

“Wait!” Jemma interjected, raising her hand as she strained her hearing to identify what she was hearing. “Did anyone else hear that?!” She asked, curiously. The rest of the group fell silent, to see if they could hear what Jemma was hearing.

“What is that?!” Elena asked, curiously.

“Sounds like a bunch of guys talking.” Mack replied, observantly.

“It’s probably that bunch of paranormal investigators that Nana and Pop said was coming here to investigate the hotel.” Deke offered, by way of explanation.

“Mack, I want you to take Fitzsimmons and Deke with you and get those … paranormal guys outta here.” Daisy ordered, shifting her plan of attack. “May, you and Yo-Yo come with me. We’re gonna track down Jiaying.” She added as the rest of the team nodded, accepting their orders.

* * *

“Dude, Zak, you’re never gonna believe what we got with the paranormal puck!” Billy declared, animatedly.

“No way!” Zak replied, with equal animation. “Dude, Aaron and I got some amazing stuff with the spirit box!”

“Dude, I think we’re bein’ played, big time!” Jay interjected.

“Oh, without a doubt!” Aaron agreed.

“We asked how many spirits were here with us and the tablet came back with the word, ‘thousands’.” Billy spoke, recounting the experiment with the paranormal puck.

“Shut the fuck up!” Zak exclaimed, in disbelief, as he replied. “We asked the same question and a voice came through the spirit box saying the word ‘many’.”

“Oh, man!” Jay groaned, dreadfully.

“But, honestly, that’s not even the craziest part!” Aaron interjected, eagerly. “We asked the spirits why they were here, and another voice came through and said that they were trapped, here.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Billy interjected. “And, we asked why they were trapped and who trapped them–“

“And, the tablet came up with ‘Jiaying’ and ‘killed’!” Jay added, animatedly, as he finished his friend and colleague’s thought.

“Dude, I think this chick is playing us!” Aaron concluded, realizing they had all been given the same information by multiple different spirits over multiple platforms.

“I think Aaron’s right, dude.” Billy agreed as he turned his attention on Zak.

Zak just remained silent as his face took on intensely focused and pensive countenance as he silently analyzed the situation. His brow furrowed as his closed fist tapped against his pursed lips. “I think…” He began, carefully. “I think…you guys are right.” He added, thoughtfully. “I definitely think we were lied to by Jiaying.” At that point, he fell silent for another moment before adding “But…that being stated…I _don’t_ think we can ignore the fact that there are numerous, innocent spirits that are trapped here and in dire need of our help to be set free of this place.” Zak argued.

“You _are_ right about one thing.” All four men all jumped, nearly out of their skins, as they all whirled around to come face to face with Jiaying. “I wasn’t _completely_ honest with you, before.” She mused, as a number of other people stepped out of the shadows, behind her, before coming to stand beside her. 

“’Completely’?” Zak scoffed. “Was _anything_ you told us true?!” He asked, his anger rising rapidly. “ _At all?!_ ”

“There was one thing…” Jiaying mused, a dark smirk contorting her face. “I _do_ need your help.”

Before any of the investigators could say or do anything in response, one of the other people that had come to stand on the side of Jiaying stepped forward. It was a young man – early thirties. He was Caucasian, over six feet tall with curly chocolate brown hair and hazel-green eyes with a lean and chiseled physique. The four investigators all stood and watched as he held his hands low, at his hip level, with his open palms facing outward and his fingers curled inward in a claw-like pose. Before Zak and his crew knew what was happening, they all jumped as their equipment surged in temperature and sparked as it short-circuited in their hands, causing them to instinctively drop it in response to the burning sensation it caused in their hands.

“Can’t have any of this show up on TV.” Jiaying shrugged, casually. “You understand.” She added.

“No. We don’t fucking understand!” Zak roared, furious at having been played. “What the fuck do you want from us?!”

Stepping forward, toward the lead investigator, Jiaying just tisked as she almost reverently caressed his face – causing the man to flinch and jerk away from the touch – “Such fire … such passion.” She mused, staring directly into Zak’s eyes as they flared with anger and fear. “We are going to have so much _fun_ together.” She purred, seductively. Meanwhile, Zak fought the urge to vomit at the insinuation in her words.

“Don’t fucking touch me, bitch!” Zak spat, venomously, violently swatting her hand away from his face. “What do you want from us?!” He demanded, again.

Jiaying just remained silent as she considered him a moment before she finally shrugged and continued to answer his question. “Well, it’s not necessarily _all_ of you I want…” She began, cryptically. “It’s really just _you_ that I want.” She purred, leaning disturbingly close into Zak’s face as she dared to caress his face, yet again. “Mmm … Oh, yes. …” She hummed, darkly, as she closed her eyes and savored the feeling of the power that coursed through the veins of the paranormal investigator: powers that remained undiscovered, as of yet. “You … are _extremely_ powerful. You will make an _exquisite_ addition to my army.” She purred, winking at Zak, seductively.

“We’ll see about that.” Daisy replied, as she and her team stepped out of the shadows, behind Zak and his crew.

* * *

_This is the fight that we’ve been waiting for | And, there’s no sense in running | The hammer’s coming down | Down | The hammer’s coming down | Down | The hammer’s comin’_

* * *

“What the fuck is goin’ on, here?!” Aaron demanded, looking back and forth between Jiaying and her crew and the new woman that suddenly showed up, seemingly out of nowhere – looking like a knock-off group of Avengers.

“You will make a fine executioner.” Jiaying continued, ignoring the new turn of events, in favor of holding Zak’s stare.

“I would **never** hurt _anyone_!” Zak hissed, solemnly. “I would sure as _hell_ never **_kill_** anyone!”

“Not yet.” Jiaying conceded, smirking darkly. “But you will.” She added, before turning her head up to call over her shoulder to one of her subordinates. “Prepare the mist.” She ordered.

“I don’t think so.” Daisy deadpanned. Zak turned and caught sight of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She stood tall and proud at approximately the same height as Zak, himself. Her raven-colored hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves with subtle notes of caramel and a playful strip of purple on one side. Her frame was strong and lean as she was dressed in a black and purple catsuit with leather gauntlets covering her hands, wrists and forearms with only her fingers exposed and black leather combat boots adorned her feet. He couldn’t explain it, but, he felt an instant and intense attraction to her. She extended her arm and Zak could actually _see_ vibrating waves of energy emitting from her hand which then sent Jiaying and her crew flying back into the wall.

“Whoa!” Billy exclaimed, dumbfounded by what he’d just witnessed.

“Holy shit!” Jay cried out, in unison with Billy.

“What the fuck?!” Aaron demanded, simultaneously.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Zak exclaimed, the previous display having jarred him out of staring at the mysterious beauty that had caught his attention.

“Get these guys outta here!” Daisy ordered as her team each approached one of the investigators.

“Don’t–what–get off me!” Aaron grumbled, trying everything he could think of to evade the strange Asian woman who approached him.

“Relax.” May replied, calmly, holding up her hands to show that she meant no harm.

“Yeah, guys.” Deke added, trying to approach Jay. “We come in peace.” He elaborated, holding his own hands up.

“Forgive us if we’re not predisposed to take you at you word, after the way this bitch lied to us.” Jay snapped, sarcastically.

“Come with me if you wish to continue to exist.” An older man with pale skin and a bald head a lean build replied, materializing out of nowhere.

“Enock?!” Jemma questioned. “I thought we told you to wait in the SUV?”

“You did.” The older man, Enock, replied. Zak and his crew couldn’t help noticing how he seemed to speak in a somewhat robotic manner. “However, upon watching the previous exchange through the surveillance equipment, I believe it is accurate to say that we have far less time than we initially believed in which to evacuate Mr. Bagans and his team before Jiaying fills this basement with Terrigen mist – potentially killing all of them and most certainly killing you and Agents Fitz, May, Mackenzie and Shaw.” Enock elaborated.

“Your friend was right.” Daeva replied, as she regained her footing.

“You guys…” Daisy began, holding the gazes of Zak and his crew, intently. “I _know_ you don’t know me, but I _promise_ you … We’re the good guys.” She added, sincerely. Zak was entranced as he stared, directly, into her eyes as she spoke. “There’s a door on the far end of this basement that opens up to a tunnel that leads to a manhole in the street a few blocks from here.” The SHIELD director explained. “My team, here, will show you the way and make sure you’re safe.”

Zak held the mysterious beauty’s gaze as she spoke. He couldn’t explain it, but he just had this indescribable instinct that told him that they could trust this beautiful stranger and her team. Finally, tearing his gaze away from the stranger, Zak turned to his crew. “Come on, guys! We gotta get the fuck outta here!”

“Dude, you really think we can trust these guys?!” Jay asked, clearly concerned and justifiably so.

Fortunately for Zak, Aaron seemed to be of the same mindset as he. “Dude, I don’t think we can afford _not_ to.” Aaron argued. “I mean, I think we can all agree that this bitch is gonna kills us all if we stay here. At least, if we go with these guys, there’s _a chance_ we can get the hell outta here, alive!”

“Just to be clear, I’ve never _killed_ **anyone**.” Jiaying countered, defensively.

Daisy couldn’t hold back her snort of derision. “Yeah, right.” She scoffed at her mother’s argument.

“I gave every one of those people a choice!” Jiaying snapped.

“Please!” Daisy scoffed. “You mean like the ‘choice’ you gave _me_?! Having me kidnapped and dragged down into a cave against my will to force me through a change that I never asked for and never _wanted_?! That’s not a **choice**!” She hissed, dangerously.

“I only wanted to help you become who you were always meant to be.” Jiaying countered, desperately.

“I’m done, here!” Daisy replied, through her hands up in exasperation. “I am _done_ with _you_!” She added, before turning back to her team. “Get them outta here!” She ordered.

“What are you going to do?” Jemma questioned, concern evident in her voice. 

“Something I should have done a _long_ time ago.” Daisy spoke with a dark and dangerous tone.

“Come with us, guys.” Mack suggested, gesturing for Zak and his crew to follow them.

“Come on, guys.” Zak urged his guys to join him in following the tall African-American man that had prompted them to follow him. Billy, Jay and Aaron all shared a quick glance before seeming to decide that a chance at an escape with these guys seemed better than certain death at the hands of the woman and her crew before them.

* * *

_Once it’s started there’s no turning back | But I’ll be with you when the sun turns black | ‘Cause finding faith will always be the hardest | While you’re standing in the heart of darkness_

_If there is one thing I can promise you | We’ll see the light again_

* * *

“Do it.” Jiaying snarled, turning to Daeva who needed before raising her hand toward the vents in the walls just below the ceiling level.

Billy, Jay and Aaron all continued following the SHIELD agents guiding them to the escape route. However, Zak was halted by his own innate sense of curiosity. He spun around just in time to see a dark, sapphire blue mist spilling forth from the vents. 

“What the fuck is that?!” Zak questioned.

“I can’t even _begin_ to tell you how much you _don’t_ wanna know the answer to that question.” Daisy snapped, shooing the investigators toward the exit.

“Dude, come on!” Aaron urged.

“Yeah, dude!” Billy urged, as well. “We gotta get the fuck outta here!”

“Come on, Zak!” Jay added, urgently, as he frantically gestured for Zak to follow them.

“Get these guys out of here.” May ordered to the other agents as she rushed after the lead investigator.

“Come on, guys.” Mack spoke, herding the investigators toward the exit. “Time to go.”

“We’re not leaving without Zak!” Billy argued, stubbornly.

“Agent May will personally see to his safety.” Jemma assured him. “But the mist will fill this room, quickly and will kill you, instantly.” She warned, sternly.

* * *

_Holdin’ on | We’ll make it ‘til the dawn | It’ll be here before long | Holding on | If we can find the light | We can make our way back home_

* * *

“Come on.” May insisted, gripping Zak by his shoulders, urging him toward the exit. Zak finally snapped out of his trance as he shook off her grip, as the mysterious blue mist almost seemed to race toward them.

“Go!” Zak replied, pushing May toward the exit ahead of him to put as much distance between her and the mist as possible. “I’m right behind you!” He added, missing the SHILED agent’s annoyed eyeroll at his attempt at chivalry.

The mist continued to close in on them as May reached the exit. Zak could see his crew and the SHIELD agents urging him forward and frantically waving him through the door. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it through the door ahead of the mist. He also knew that even if he _did_ make it through the door, the mist would follow them into the tunnel. Without giving himself a chance to second guess himself, he made an executive decision. As he approached the exit, he grabbed the heavy wooden door and – with everything he had – he heaved the door closed with a loud, resounding thud and slammed the lock into place as he mentally prepared himself to face his fate.

Daisy watched the whole scene unfold – dumbfounded by the lead investigator’s willingness to sacrifice himself so that the rest of _both_ of their teams could get to safety. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Get outta here!” She shouted at the obviously insane man.

However, she was too late. Jiaying smiled, darkly, as the mist swirled around Zak’s feet. Daisy could only watch in horror as a layer of stone encased his body. She tried to speak but found that no words would come. But then, her mind was blown apart a second time. The stone figure of Zak’s body did not disintegrate as she had expected. Rather, it just stood there like a statue. She could hear the voices on the other side of the door screaming for him. But, astonishingly enough … as the mist settled … the layer of stone around Zak’s body shattered.

* * *

“We should get out of here.” Jemma spoke, gently, motioning for the paranormal investigators to follow her out of the tunnel.

“No way in _hell_ are we leaving without Zak!” Aaron snapped, rounding on the biochemist.

“Hey!” Fitz stepped in front of his wife, protectively, despite Aaron being much larger and much more intimidating. “Back off!” He snapped. “She’s just trying to be sensible! Your friend made his choice! Now, you don’t have to like it, but, unless you want to die, too, we need to get hell out of here!”

“Let’s all just calm down.” Mack interjected, stepping in between Fitz and Aaron. “Now, Fitz is right. We need to get out of here!”

“I hate to say it…” Billy chimed in. “But they make a lot of sense.” He added, cautiously, bracing himself for Aaron’s reaction.

“He’s right, Aaron.” Jay added, with a heavy sigh. “I mean, I love Zak as much as you guys do – hell, he’s like a _brother_ to me!”

“Bullshit!” Aaron roared. “If he really means that much to you, how the fuck can you just turn your back and leave him, here, to die!?” Aaron demanded.

“Look!” Jay interrupted, sternly. “This guy is right!” He suddenly stopped when he realized he didn’t even know the name of the man he was defending. “What’s your name?” He asked, somewhat apologetically, as he turned to Fitz.

“Fitz, sir.” Fitz offered, gently. “Agent Leopold Fitz.”

“Really?” Jay questioned, briefly, before receiving only a sheepish shrug in response. Shaking it off, Jay turned back toward Aaron. “Look, dude. Agent Fitz is right. Zak made his choice, okay?! He _chose_ to sacrifice himself so that _we_ could get the fuck outta here, alive! Now, I – for one – don’t intend to let Zak sacrifice himself in vain!”

“Are you fuckin’ shitting me, right now?!” Aaron demanded, in disbelief. Rounding on the SHIELD team, he plowed on. “What about you guys, huh?!” He demanded, frantically. “That’s _your_ friend in there, too! Don’t you fucking care about _her_?!”

“Daisy can survive the mist.” Jemma snapped on a defensive instinct before realizing what she had just said. Biting her lip, she silently cursed to herself. _Bugger._

“Wait, WHAT?!” Aaron demanded. “What the fuck?!” The investigator took to pacing as he scrubbed his hands over his head as he processed what the young woman had just said. “Who the fuck _are_ you people?!”

“All you need to know is that we are from SHIELD.” Mack replied, deliberately keeping his voice level and calm.

“Bullshit!” Aaron roared. “I need to know how the hell your friend can survive that Goddamned mist shit and how _Zak_ could possibly survive, too!” He snarled, getting right up in Mack’s face.

“It’s purely a matter of genetics.” Jemma caved, silently cursing her inability to remain silent.

“You better start making _a lot_ more sense, woman!” Aaron growled, moving to loom over Jemma who flinched under intense scrutiny. “Real quick!”

“Like the woman said!” Deke interjected, in his grandmother’s defense. “It’s all about genetics.” He added, hoping to draw Aaron’s attention away from Jemma. He was pleased to see that it was working. “Deke Shaw.” He introduced himself. “Big fan, by the way…” At least he had enough sense to back up as Aaron advanced on him. “And, _because_ I’m such a big fan, I know all about your friend’s fragile respiratory system. I mean, hell, he has to wear a damn respirator on like ninety-nine percent of your lockdowns!” Deke argued. “Daisy, on the other hand, was born with a damn near _superhuman_ respiratory system.” He added, speaking almost as much with his hands as he was with his mouth. “So, I can _guarantee_ you that your friend is dead and Jiaying knows that you guys know the truth about her and her crimes.” He reasoned. “Do you really think she’s gonna let you guys live to tell the tale?!”

“Deke is right.” May added. “She won’t let you three walk away from this.”

“Which is **exactly** _why_ you guys need to let us get you out of here.” Yo-Yo added.

“Yeah.” Mack nodded. “We will take Jiaying down once we get you out of here and to safety.”

“Not … Without … Zak!” Aaron ground out.

“Boy!” Mack warned, sternly. “You can either walk up outta here…” He began, moving to stand just inches away from Aaron’s face. “Or I will knock ya ass out and _drag_ it up outta here.” The SHIELD agent snarled, darkly. “It’s your choice!”

Aaron just crossed his arms over his chest, cockily. “You wouldn’t fucking d–“ The rest of the SHIELD team all jumped in shock as the paranormal investigator’s eyes rolled back into his head as he dropped to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Hoisting the unconscious man up, over his shoulder, in a fireman carry, Mack took off toward the exit. The SHIELD team and the paranormal investigators all shared a momentary bewildered expression before rushing after him.

* * *

_Hold on | We’ll make it ‘till the dawn | It’ll be here before long | Holdin’ on | If we can find the light | We’ll find the light, come on_

* * *

As the cocoon shattered from around him, Zak collapsed to the floor, clutching his head. Suddenly, he could hear what sounded like thousands of voices all screaming at the same time. He couldn’t make out any words. They were all just … ** _so_** … _loud_! And he just wanted it to stop. “STOP!” He screamed as loudly as he could. “STOP IT! JUST FUCKING STOP IT!” He screamed as tears poured down his face. “Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Zak pleaded, clenching his hands over his ears as tightly as he could in his feeble attempts to block out all the noise.

Daisy empathized with the paranormal investigator. She knew all too well the physical, mental and emotional trauma of going through the mist and Terrigenesis unprepared. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. As she moved to help him, she struggled to wrap her mind around the fact that the poor man was an _Inhuman_. _I definitely did **not** see that one comin’ … _She admitted, silently, to herself. However, she was soon halted in her efforts as she heard Jiaying’s voice ring out behind her.

“Stop her!” Jiaying ordered to her followers. “Whatever it takes … and don’t let him get away!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Daeva nodded, setting her sights on Daisy.

“With pleasure!” Nathaniel smiled, darkly, as he set his sights on Zak.

Daisy barely had time to register the commands before Daeva had wrapped her arms around her, restricting her movement. In a moment of quick thinking, she jerked her head back and stunned her attacker with a sudden blow to the head. Breaking the grip, she whipped around to meet one of Jiaying’s other followers with a swift punch to the face. Another attacker came at her from the right only to be thwarted by a swift kick to the chest as she quaked another attacker on her left. Zak was continuing to struggle on the other side of the basement, but Daisy had to ignore him for the moment to focus on the fight in front of her. She was managing to succeed in holding the attention of Jiaying’s lackeys for quite a while. She had managed to incapacitate all but two of them and was well on her way with one of the last two when the other managed to slip away. As Daisy looked around to locate him, she silently cursed herself as he grabbed Zak around the shoulders, to haul the investigator to his feet.

Zak was shaken from his struggle against the voices as he was suddenly grabbed from behind. But, as he was about to be unceremoniously yanked to his feet, he was shocked to his very core when his would-be attacker mysteriously dropped dead. _What the fuck?!_ Zak wondered, a terror unlike any he’d ever known surged through every vein in his body. The voices around him began to intensify even more as he continued begging and pleading with them to just stop. He was trying to strike whatever deal he could to whatever deity or entity would listen for everything to just be quiet. However, all of his pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears. The chaos swarming around him soon started to become unbearably overwhelming and debilitating as he noticed his vision beginning to blur as his eyelids started to feel heavy. Just before the blackness overtook him, he barely registered the mysterious beauty from moments ago speaking to him.

Kneeling down over Zak, Daisy gently stroked the side of his face as she spoke to him gently. “It’s gonna be okay.” She assured him. “You’re safe, now.” As she spoke, she watched faintest traces of a smile ghost over his countenance.

* * *

_Hold on | We’ll make it till the dawn | It’ll be here before long | Holdin’ on | If we can find the light | We’ll find the light, come on_

* * *

“Thank you.” Jay Wasley spoke softly as Jemma brough him a cup of coffee after they had all escaped to the SHIELD base.

Billy Tolley nodded his thanks as the biochemist set a cup before him, as well, before finally voicing the question weighing on his mind. “So … What’s gonna happen, now?”

“Well, once Mr. Goodwin wakes up and the three of you have told us everything you can about your investigation at the Afterlife Hotel, we will take you all home.” Jemma explained as she tried to keep her voice gentle and empathetic. “Once you’ve all signed the necessary confidentiality agreements, of course.”

“I’ll sign whatever you want.” Billy sighed, tiredly. “I mean, they already destroyed our equipment, anyway, and without any evidence, I highly doubt anyone would believe us even if we _wanted_ to put this on the show …” Jemma nodded, understandingly. She couldn’t even imagine how overwhelming this all had to have been on the paranormal investigators.

“Is Aaron gonna be okay?” Jay asked, concerned, as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Yes, Mr. Goodwin will be just fine.” Jemma replied with a gentle smile. “I’ve given him a thorough examination and found only a very mild concussion. He’ll likely have a nasty headache when he wakes but I don’t foresee any lasting damage.” She explained, gently. “Although, he probably shouldn’t be left alone for twenty-four hours. And should be monitored and woken every few hours throughout the night.”

After a few moments of tense silence, Billy asked the question everybody in the room had been dreading since leaving the hotel. “What about Zak?” He asked, carefully. “You said that your friend can survive the mist.” He reasoned, as Jemma rubbed her forehead – knowing where this train of thought was headed. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that … I _have_ to know … Is there _any_ chance _at all_ that Zak could have survived, too?”

Jemma sighed heavily as she thought very carefully about how to best answer that question. Technically, yes, there was an _extremely_ remote possibility that Zak Bagans had survived the mist. But, as she had already tried to point out, the statistics were not on his side. And, if – by some miracle – he _had_ managed to survive, did she really want to be the one to try to explain Terrigenesis and Inhumans to them? Definitely not.

“Please.” Jay begged, desperately. “Miss …” He trailed off, suddenly realizing he didn’t know her name. “Technically, I suppose you could call me Mrs. Fitz.” She mused. “But you may call me Jemma.” She added, kindly.

“Please, Jemma.” Jay pleaded. “Zak isn’t just our boss … He’s our best friend.”

“He’s _family_.” Billy added.

With another deep breath, Jemma replied “Technically … yes … There _is_ an _extremely slim_ chance that Mr. Bagans could have survived–”

“Then, what the hell are we doing _here_?!” Billy demanded, leaping to his feet, ignoring the glare from Melinda behind Jemma.

"Billy’s right.” Jay declared, rising out of his own seat. “Zak wouldn’t sit around with his thumb up his ass if it was one of us stuck in that damn mist!”

“Yes, but what you fail to realize is that **_if_** Mr. Bagans _did_ , indeed, survive … he is not alone in that basement–”

“You bet your _ass_ ; he isn’t!” Billy interjected, heatedly.

“That bitch, Jiaying, is down there with him!” Added Jay.

“And the spirits in there told us that Jiaying killed the people whose spirits are trapped in that Goddamn hotel!” Billy plowed on.

“I understand your concerns.” Jemma spoke more firmly as she rose to her own feet. “But I assure you Director Johnson has dealt with Jiaying before and knows full-well _precisely_ how dangerous she is!” The scientist reasoned, sharply. “And I can also assure you that Director Johnson is perfectly capable of dispensing with Jiaying – once and for all – and bringing Mr. Bagans home, safely.” She declared, confidently. “ _That is_ –” She interjected, sharply to prevent the investigators from interrupting her. “ _Provided_ Mr. Bagans _survived_ the mist in the _first place_!” She elaborated. Even May was quietly impressed with the confidence the young woman was demonstrating.

An awkward cough alerted the occupants of the conference room to the newcomer’s presence. “Ummmm … Jemma?” Yo-Yo spoke awkwardly. “Sorry … am I interrupting?” She asked, sheepishly.

“Not at all, Agent Rodriguez.” Jemma replied, kindly, flashing her friend and colleague a warm smile. “What can I do for you?”

“Mr. Goodwin is awake.” Yo-Yo replied. “And, understandably agitated.” She added, in a light earning tone.

“Thank you, Agent Rodriguez.” Jemma smiled, smoothing her clothes before turning to take her leave. On her way, she paused to redirect her attention to the investigators. “Agent May can take things from here.”

* * *

_A Few Minutes Earlier_

* * *

_This is the calm before the coming storm | This is the red sky morning without warning now | This is the fight that we’ve been waiting for | And there’s no sense in running the hammer’s coming down | Down | The hammer’s coming down | Down | The hammer’s coming down_

* * *

After dispensing with the last of Jiaying’s subordinates, Daisy stood alone, face-to-face with her mother. “This ends, today!” She spoke with an air of finality. “You can _not_ keep threatening people into serving you!” She added. “They are _human beings_!”

“They are so much _more_ than that!” Jiaying refuted, calmly. “You know that as well as I do. Inhumans are so much more–”

“ _Some of them_ were Inhumans!” Daisy interjected. “The vast majority of them were innocent _human beings_ that you murdered for you own sick experiment!”

“I did what I had to do to strengthen our ranks!” Jiaying argued, earning an exasperated eye-roll from her daughter. “Humans will forever fear us and try to _destroy us_!”

“Humans don’t _know_ we _exist_!” Daisy cried out, in disbelief! “You are _unbelievable_! What are you gonna do with _him_?!” She demanded, pointing to the man cowering in the corner, covering his ears with his hands and screaming at people that apparently only he could see and hear to ‘shut up’ and ‘stop’. “You gonna threaten him, too?!”

“I only aim to help him realize his full potential … to be who he was always meant to be.” Jiaying insisted, levelly. “Just as I have always wanted to do for you!” She added, reaching out for her daughter’s hand.

“Don’t even **_think_** about taking that next step!” Daisy hissed, dangerously. “I already _am_ who I was always meant to be! No thanks to _you_!” The SHIELD director spat, venomously. “He is _not_ some piece of property for you – or anyone else for that matter – to claim as your own! _My team and I_ will help him adapt to his powers! Then, he and **_ONLY_** he will decide if and how he will use them! Not you! Not me! Not _anybody else_!” She hissed.

“When will you learn?” Jiaying asked, with the exasperation of a parent dealing with a petulant teenager. “Your place was never meant to be with SHIELD! They seek to destroy us – those of us they can’t control!”

“I am done with you!” Daisy spoke with a deadly sense of calm. Without another word, she raised her hands toward Jiaying. Before, Jiaying knew what was happening, she could feel every cell in her body vibrating out of control. She couldn’t even scream as the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and cartilage all clattered and ripped apart. The last thing she registered was the look of pure, unadulterated malice and hatred in her daughter’s eyes as her flesh was ripped apart under the force of her daughter’s vibrations, sending her blood flying in all directions as it was set free of the confines of Jiaying’s blood vessels. Covered from head-to-toe in her mother’s blood, Daisy looked down at the dusted remains of her mother’s body as she spoke, ever so quietly. “I’m where I need to be.” Her voice and face were contorted in disdain – as if she’d tasted something vile.

* * *

_If you can hear me now I’m reaching out | To let you know that you’re not alone | And if you can’t tell I’m scared as hell | ‘Cause I can’t get you on the telephone | So just close your eyes | Oh honey here comes a lullaby your very own lullaby_

* * *

Daisy wasn’t sure how long she stood there before Zak’s overwhelmed and desperate whimpers broke through her trance. Tearing her eyes away from her mother’s remains, she quickly crossed the basement to stand by the whimpering man’s trembling form. “Hey.” She greeted, gently. “You okay?” She asked, quietly.

“Please, just go away.” Zak begged, desperately. “Just be quiet!”

“Who are you talking to?” Daisy asked, gently, careful to keep her voice at a low volume so as not to overwhelm the whimpering man as she reached a hand out to the trembling man’s shoulder in what she had meant to be a comforting gesture.

“D-Don’t-Don’t-Don’t touch me!” Zak whimpered, stumbling onto his backside as he struggled to move away from the proffered touch.

“Sorry.” Daisy muttered, sheepishly. “I know I look like I just stepped out of a _Saw_ movie.” She apologized, gently. “But I promise you …. I really _am_ one of the good guys, I swear.” She added, as Zak slowly looked up at her, eyes wide with shock.

“Oh my God!” Zak’s voice trembled, fearfully. “Are you okay?” He asked, concern etched into his trembling voice as he started to reach out toward Daisy only to retract his hand, sharply.

_Really?!_ Daisy thought to herself, in sarcastic disbelief. _I am … literally **soaked** in blood and all he cares about is whether or not I’m okay?!_ She wondered, unsure of what to make of this man’s reaction to seeing her in her current state. _Isn’t he just the least little bit scared of me?_ She wondered. _I mean, he doesn’t know me from Adam … I could be some psycho serial killer for all he knows._ “Ummm … Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” She told him, chuckling softly in disbelief. “It’s umm … It’s not my blood.” She elaborated.

As the mysterious blood-soaked beauty continued to speak to him, Zak suddenly realized that all the other voices that had been screaming all around him had started to fade away. But suddenly all the people around them had faded except for one. Just behind the beautiful woman, he could see an older Caucasian man with short, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The man appeared to be in his mid-to-late fifties, with an average build and wore a black suit with a crisp white dress shirt and black necktie. He seemed to be smiling over the woman before him. “Who are you?” Zak asked, curiously.

Daisy had been just about to answer Zak’s question and introduce herself when she realized he wasn’t looking at her as he spoke. “Who are you talking to?” She asked, carefully.

Suddenly, the older man that had been standing over Daisy seemed to realize Zak’s awareness of him. “Wait.” The man spoke, eyes wide with shock. “You can _see_ me?!” He asked, in disbelief.

“Yes, I can.” Zak replied, simply, staring directly at the older man.

“What the hell?!” Daisy muttered, quietly shaken by her lack of understanding of the situation unfolding before her.

“Don’t worry.” Zak assured her. “Don’t be afraid.” He added. “I can feel his energy and it’s an extremely positive energy. A very fond energy.” He elaborated, hoping to assuage some of the fear he could feel coming from Daisy. Though, the empath in him could feel that unsuccessful.

“This is incredible!” The older gentleman spoke, again. “My name is Phil Coulson.” He introduced himself.

“I’m Zak. Zak Bagans.” Zak introduced himself.

“What’s going on, here?!” Daisy breathed, not trusting her own sense of reality.

Zak felt a spike in her fear, again, with a corresponding rise in her confusion. “It’s okay.” He attempted to assure her, once again.

“Daisy!” Phil told Zak, eagerly, shifting his gaze back and forth between Daisy and Zak. “Her name is Daisy! Daisy Johnson!”

“It’s okay, Daisy.” Zak repeated, adding the name that Phil had provided him with. However, he could still feel her fear and confusion continuing to rise.

“How do you know my name?!” Daisy breathed, feeling her heart about to pound its way out of her chest.

“Because your friend just told me.” Zak explained, simply. “He told me your name is Daisy Johnson.”

“What the hell?!” Daisy muttered, as she started to hyperventilate.

“Tell her it’s me!” Phil told Zak, urgently – desperate to calm Daisy down. “Tell her it’s me, it’s Coulson. It’s AC.”

“Okay.” Zak agreed. “He told me to tell you it’s Coulson talking to me.” Zak explained, deliberately keeping his voice level and calm. “He told me to tell you it’s AC.” He added, carefully. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“Coulson?!” Daisy repeated, breathlessly. “AC?” Zak could tell that she was trying to process everything he was telling her. Suddenly, she stopped hyperventilating. Zak wanted to reach out to her – to hold her and comfort her. He couldn’t explain it: he didn’t know if it was this ‘Coulson’ influencing him or if it was something else. One thing was certain: he definitely felt an intense physical attraction to the young woman that had first manifested itself the moment he’d first laid eyes upon her. “That’s impossible.” Daisy finally spoke, her voice grim and stern. “Phil Coulson is _dead_!”

Zak could tell that this was an intensely personal and extremely delicate topic for Daisy. He could feel her sadness wash over him, threatening to consume him. But underneath that he could feel a layer of something else. He could faintly feel that she _wanted_ to believe him that he was in fact speaking with Phil Coulson. All of that was compounded by his own disbelief and shock over the whole situation. Never, in all his years of paranormal investigations had he ever seen such a crystal clear full-body apparition. He could see the man plain as day with his own eyes. And he could hear him as plainly as he could see and hear Daisy. It was all quickly becoming overwhelming. He stumbled back toward the wall behind him as he collapsed against the wall – his knees buckling as he started hyperventilating. He tried vocalizing what he was feeling but the words all died in his throat. As he felt increasingly overwhelmed, his breaths came quicker and shallower and his vision began to blur. The last thing he registered as his surroundings faded to black all around him was Daisy rushing to his side as he collapsed into her waiting arms. His last coherent thought was the desperate need to warn her not to touch him. That warning died on his lips as he fell into her arms, limp and unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. If you have, don't forget to drop me a comment! Also, feel free to suggest things you'd like to see in future chapters. I have several more chapters written, I just have to get them typed up and edited so I can get them posted. Unfortunately, I'm a single mom who works 2 jobs to make ends meet so ... I can't make any promises as to when I'll get them posted.


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